Imp. Minister

Soumitra Bose

New Delhi (The Hawk): Imp. Minister: Ramalinga Reddy. How? Well, the fact that Chief minister Siddaramaiah appointed him as transport minister, it shows, Ramalinga Reddy as the head of the state’s four transport corporations --- they control more than 80 per cent of the state's population of all hues --- in an effort to mollify the senior party leader. The appointment was made following Reddy’s meetings with deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar and Bengaluru Rural MP DK Suresh who reached out to the veteran Congress leader. Reddy, who was the home minister in the previous Congress government led by Siddaramaiah, had been unhappy with the portfolios assigned to him - he is the minister of transport and muzrai.

According to the order issued by Siddara-maiah, Reddy will also serve as the chairman of Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), Northwest Road Transport Corporation (NWRTC) and Kalyan Karnataka Transport Corporation (KKRTC).

The chairman’s post in the four corporations is often given to placate party leaders who were left out of the cabinet.

Hours after the appointment, Reddy held his first meeting with the managing directors of two corporations, KSRTC and BMTC, on Tuesday and declared that he discussed the implementation of the ‘Shakti’ scheme under which women in Karnataka can travel for free across the state in government-run buses. The minister said women can apply for the Shakti smart cards from June 11 and obtain it to use for free bus travel in all buses except luxury buses and those on inter-state routes.

Reddy added that women will have to get the smart cards within three months from the Seva Sindhu portal.

“Women can apply for the smart cards on the Seva Sindhu portal from June 11 which can be used for free bus travel. The government will bear the cost of the smart cards,” Reddy said. The smart cards will be made compulsory after three months. According to government guidelines, women can travel using any identity card issued by the central or state government that carries the photograph and address of the beneficiary. Road transport corporations will issue women a ‘zero ticket’ (free ticket) and get reimbursed by the government Only women domiciled in Karnataka can travel in the general and express buses for free.

The scheme will not be applicable to the luxury, sleeper, and AC buses. Buses such as Rajahamsa, Non-AC sleeper, Vajra, Vayu Vajra, Airavat, Airavat Club Class, Airavat Gold Class, Ambari, Ambari Dream Class, Ambari Utsav Fly Bus, EV Power Plus have been excluded from the purview of the scheme.

Half of the seats on KSRTC, NWKRTC and KKRTC’s ordinary and express buses will be reserved for men. Already there is a mass joie de vivre amid the state's masses, celebrating their new found travel freedom, thanks to Ramalinga Reddy. They are adulating him as also, praising Siddaramaiah-Shivkumar pair whole heartedly.